Ill 



AGRICULTURE OF THE SUGAR CANE.— I. 



Extracts from " Sugar Cane, Vol. I." by Dr. William SxtTBBS, 

 Director of the Louisiana Sugar Experiment Statioa. 



Edited by Francis Watts, Government Chemist, Jamaica.* 



Rainfall. 



It is generally estimated that an annual rainfall of about sixty inches 

 is most advantageous for the growth of cane. This amount should be 

 well distributed over at least ninety to one hundred days, of which 

 about forty-five inches should fall durmg the wet or growing season, 

 and about fifteen inches during the dry. However, annual rainfalls of 

 double this amount oc'cur in parts of Reunion and Guiana where they 

 make large crops of cane ; but as remarked elsewhere, such canes are 

 always green and give low sugar contents. On the other hand, cane 

 is grown now most successfully in countries with a very small rainfall 

 by irrigation. Indeed it may be said, that when the temperature 

 and soils are suitable, that cane growing by irrigation is the most re- 

 munerative. The largest crops, ripened artificially by the withholding 

 of water, are obtained, and the output of sugar per acre in such coun- 

 tries is enormous. (^) 



Cane growing by irrigation has given yields surpassing the highest 

 records of the best sugar countries. The presence of humidity in the 

 air deemed heretofore necessary to successful cane growing, was but a 

 means to prevent evaporation and tomaintai^i moisture, conditions most 

 suitable to the wants of the cane. In irrigated districts, little or no 

 humidity of the air exists. 



Drainage. 



Nowhere on earth is drainage more essential than in the alluvial dis- 

 tricts of Louisiana, and while many plantations may be considered well 

 drained, the average planter has not yet fully appreciated the necessity 

 for multiplying open ditches to the extent of forcing his soils to their 

 fullest capacity. This is evidenced by a trip over the State and observ- 

 ing the varying distances between ditches which obtain in different 

 plantations. 



* It is thought desirable to present to the readers of the " Bulletin" a series of 

 extracts from a recently published treatise on the Sugar Cane by Dr. Stubbs the 

 well known Director of the Louisiana Experiment^Station. This wjrk; summarises 

 all the latest information on the subject, and coming from so eminent an authority, 

 the opinions expressed cannot fail to command respect and must prove both in- 

 teresting and useful to those connected with the sugar industry in any part of the 

 world. 



In a few instances the practices recommended hardly apply to the conditions 

 prevailing in Jamaica and the West Indies generally, being l)ased upon the con- 

 ditions peculiar to Louisiana which has only a semi-tropical climate and a distinct 

 winter period. For the most part however the rules and suggestions laid down 

 are of world-wide application. F. W. 



(1) Should there be a revival of the sugar industry in the West Indies the irri- 

 gated districts of Jamaica offer great facilities for cane cultivation. With the 

 abundant streams of the island the irrigated areas might be greatly increased. 



It is highly important to remember that the mechanical or physical condition 

 of the soil of irrigated districts must be carefully attended to, thorough tillage and 

 thorough drainage must accompany irrigation. F. W. 



